Interview Gabriele Riedmann de Trinidad

Soon the participants of Techstars METRO Accelerator will be announced. Only a few weeks until the mentoring program starts. We talked to Gabriele Riedmann de Trinidad, juror of the TMA and Group Director Business Innovation METRO AG, about the (not always easy) selection process and her expectations for the program and the participating startups.

What criteria do you use to measure candidates for Techstars METRO Accelerator?

We’ve taken our cue from Techstars. Startups in the final round have to demonstrate their compatibility with our METRO philosophy and the scalability of their business model; but also their commitment to the most important category: “team, team, team”.

How hard is it to choose or reject individual ideas?

Given the hundreds of applications, the selection process is far from easy. It’s important to involve the people from METRO, especially the country managers, from the very beginning. Good technological analysis tools also help the process.

What do you expect from the program?

With Techstars METRO Accelerator’s kickoff, we will contribute to the hospitality industry’s transition to digitilization and thereby further strengthen our partnership with independent entrepreneurs. And yes, we hope we’ve found the best startups!

What advice would you give to startups who might not pass the selection process?

There are a lot of ways you can work with METRO, e.g. by connecting toour local organizations, attending our regular meetups – an informal get-together of start-ups and investors from all over the country – or by reapplying next year.

What is so your personal fascination about working with startups?

They spend all their energy and lots of passion to make their ideas happen – nothing can keep a startup entrepreneur from netting the goal. Personally, you can learn a lot from working with young entrepreneurs.